Cavs shock Knights in final seconds for first CCC road win
PORTLAND, Ore.—Hitting her final two shots in the last minutes after starting the game 0-for-4 from the floor,
Briannah Smith helped seal a 57-54 win for Concordia University in Cascade Collegiate Conference women's basketball action at Warner Pacific Colllege on Friday night.
Smith's drive with five seconds remianing capped an exciting back-and-forth contest between the two Portland rivals. The game featured 13 lead changes, including four in the last four minutes alone.
For Concordia (10-9, 4-6 CCC), the win avenged a home loss against the Knights earlier in the season.
Connecting on its first two shots to create it slargest lead of the game, Warner Pacific (9-14, 2-8 CCC) grabbed an early 6-0 lead with 3-pointers by Jordan Wilcox and Kyeli Hendryx.
The Cavaliers weathered the early storm to eventually take a 28-23 advantage on
Sierra Dean free throws moments before the break. A Hendryx free throw in the waning seconds made it a four-point lead at the half for the visitors.
A 5-1 mini-scoring spree out of the half doubled CU's lead to eight points (33-25) for the largest edge for either side.
From there, the Knights strung together its best extended run of the evening, a stretch that included a trio of 3-pointers, two by Hendryx and another by Jackson, to retake the lead at 38-37 with 13:50 remaining.
Over the last 14 minutes, hoewver, neither team created more than a three-point advantage to set up the dramatic final minute.
Not only did Smith provide the game winner, but the sophomore guard dropped a go-ahead layup moments earlier for a 54-53 Cavalier lead. Smith was held without a point until the 50 seconds of play.
With 28 seconds left, WPC's Lindsay Loe had a chance to give the home side another lead at the free throw line, but Loe managed to convert just 1-of-2 of her chances to create the seventh tie of the game.
After Smith's second layup, Concordia forced a turnover which led to a trip to the line for Dean, who drained 1-of-2 with three seconds remaining. The score held for the final spread as the Knights failed to get off a potential game-tying shot.
Dean and
Janae Klarich shared the team-high for Concordia with 15 points each, one more than teammate
Jordyn Peacock.
Low and Hendryx each scored 14 for the Knights.
Concordia barely managed to outshoot the Knights, 34.4 percent to 33.9 percent but WPC finished with a 43-41 edge on the boards.
Concordia will return to action on Friday, January 30 when it hosts College of Idaho. Warner Pacific, meanwhile will entertain Eastern Oregon that day with both games starting at 5:30 p.m.